Youths opt for dance and drama to prevent sexual abuse

Districts such as Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Iganga, Rakai and Mbale recorded the highest cases of violence against women and girls.

Districts such as Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Iganga, Rakai and Mbale recorded the highest cases of violence against women and girls.

PIC: Children performing during the annual inter club festival. (Credit: Violet Nabatanzi)

SEX ABUSE

KAMPALA - With increasing cases of child sexual exploitation, young people have resorted to using dance and drama so as to prevent the act through an annual inter club festival.

The festival which took place at Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) on Tuesday provided a platform to the girls to share views, knowledge and skills on how they can identify ways of preventing sexual abuse and exploitation based on the manifestations in the community and schools through poems, skits and creative dance.

According to the 2016 police report, over 7567 cases of defilement, 1572 of rape and 72 of incest were registered

About 341 women and girls were killed in domestic scuffles between 2015 and 2016.

Districts such as Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Iganga, Rakai and Mbale recorded the highest cases of violence against women and girls.

UYDEL supports school going children and dropouts through conducting school clubs and community activities to ensure a safe environment; free from sexual exploitation of children.

Kulsum Birungi UYDEL's social worker said, the organisation is implementing a Girls' Advocacy Alliance (GAA) project that seeks to influence policy and practice on women and girls' rights as a way of achieving transformative change and sustainable impact in as far as the elimination of all forms of gender based violence and economic exclusion is concerned.

The five-year project is being funded by Terre des Hommes Netherlands.

She said government should implement the National Action plan to reduce sexual exploitation of children by 2020.

Birungi added that by organising annual club competition, they want to create ambassadors of change who will go communities and train people the differnent ways of ending sexual abuse.

"Some people take young people for granted just because they are minors. Children are exposed to pornography some are raped while others are defiled," Birungi expressed concern.

The goal of the project is to develop and strengthen a sustainable system aimed at elimination of sexual exploitation of children in Uganda by advancing an integrated response involving concerted efforts by community, private sector and governance structures in Kampala and Wakiso district by December 2018.

What children say

The young people asked government to implement the Children Amendment Act 2016 by apprehending those implicated in sexual offenses.

They also asked Government to give support to organisations like UYDEL which have helped many disadvantaged girls by inculcating vocational skills like hair dressing.

The young people however appealed to parents to groom their children properly right from their homes.

They further asked Government to assist girls who have been defiled or raped and give them proper treatment and counselling.